Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Marketing
With messages like these, they grab our attention. However, more oftenly we end up buying it AND regretting it later.
Don't believe everything they say. Leggings are the worst fashion item this year. Period.
Wear it only if you have slim and long legs.
Construction goes friendly at 0CBC.
There are many interesting advertisments around us. Really.
Take a look at Standard Chartered's.
Noticed the hand?
Make your contribution to Ads of the World today.
I have uploaded 2 videos. Enjoy.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
My Week
I went to the 0rderly room to report, thinking I would be able to meet up with the ol' R@dar guys. Instead, I saw Don who has slimmed down significantly. Three years ago, when Teck Lee was still in charge of Don, we tried training him up. But when one gives up, he couldn't well expect anyone to help him anymore, could he? We spoke lesser during the final lap of the N5. I could never imagine he would be the one accompanying me for the next two weeks.
We were so bored on the first day. We came up with our own training schedule to make time pass easier. I would go for runs in the mornings, have breakfast with him in the canteen, laze in the pool for the next 1.5hours, lunch for 1/2 hour, rest in the gym and then relax in the mess before going home. It soon became a routine.
Soon, we were known to be the 'garang' N5 men. Now, I have worked out a tan and am $200 richer. Yes, I've cleared the test. My running partner turned out to be Liow, someone we were particuarly fond of. *Wonder how the older batch of people are doing now* Suddenly, I miss my 5ignal boys, Taro, Weixiong, Waihong, Weiming... even Garrick.
Anyhow, I have been meeting Gerrie lesser, due to her work commitments. We finally did suppers. Last night, we went to Chomp Chomp, a good altnerative to East Coast food center.
Saturday
The rain wasted my effort in washing Blackathy. I spent at least 1.5hours scrubbing, rushed off to get flowers to cheer Gerrie up and had 'dinner' with her at 4. When it was time for her to go back to work, I met the 3 giants: HQ, James and Daniel. It felt good to do shopping. Got a black top from cK, which I spent so much time thinking if I should get it, much to the distress of my 'bodyguards'. But at least they had the luxury to laze in the armchairs while I was running around the boutique.
Spent a little bit more time with 'em over coffee at Raffles Place. Felt good to be lazing around without the need to think about the projects due, the coming exams and the amount of emails I have to clear after these two weeks of ICT.
Gerrie and I did supper again. Guess we would have to postpone our 'date' again. Yes, drinks may be expensive but it's always nice to chill over a pint. Nevertheless, I enjoyed that one hour of her time.
Sidetrack a little. Sometimes a relationship can dilute 'cus of the lack of intimacy and romance. There is a limited variety of things a couple could do here. Sure, there are movies to watch, things to shop for but conversation could, at its best, linger over the surface.
"Do I look fat in this dress?"
"Is this pair of shoes nice?"
"Do you think this bag would match the outfit I bought yesterday?"
You get the drift. Therefore, I think having dinners or drinks at quiet restaurants is one of the best way for a couple to spend time.
And yes, marketing worked again. Gerrie got her 2 penguins: Gloria and Mumble. Talking about the two penguins, I was looking for the soft toys at Taka. I picked out the cleanest looking penguin. It had this yellow bow-tie. I took another one to compare (yes, I'm such a typical 5ingap0rean) but this particular one has no bow-tie. I thought, "Eh, the bow-tie came off ah?" It took me a few seconds to realise they are two different characters.
Yea yea, laugh at me.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Quiz
a. Happy Feet
b. The Nightmare Before Christmas
c. Open Season
A. Movies I want to watch this season.
Q2. What do the following have in common?
a. Gucci handphone strap
b. Raoul cufflinks
A. Presents I would love to have this birthday.
Cheers!
Friday, November 24, 2006
A Picture Long Overdue
Gracias, Mandy.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Monday, November 20, 2006
Royale My Sunday
Later, I went to Malaysia and Southern didn't prepare my kit. I didn't feel disappointed though. It might had been a waste of money. I was also against of putting the original springs back. I like how Blackathy looks like now. Perhaps next year.
Despite the dark clouds, I sent Blackathy for a bath. That RM8 may not mean anything, but it could buy the workers dinner. After all, their business looked bad.
I think it's all in the mind, but somehow their petrol seemed to last longer. From JB, to Raffles Place, to Suntec, to Aljunied and back home, it's still full tank. But it's really troublesome to go in and out for oil.
Yes, Gerrie's back. It was 'bit of a coincidence though. Just when I was nearing the custom, I received a call from her, saying she would be out soon. I met her at her company and we went to watch Casino Royale.
Jackie Chan is soooooooo... going to lose his job man. The first scene where Bond chased after this man was so exciting. All in all, a great show, though Daniel Craig did lack of charisma. Ooh, I hated the scene where he got hit in the balls. And Daniel Craig is different from the other Bonds. Ok, he came across as decent. All Bonds have their Bond girls and they are suppose to be players!
I just received the security device from dbs. Took 'em so long to implement it uh? Tsk tsk. The packaging was ugly, so was the device itself.
You'll know what I mean when you get yours.
Enjoy this. Thanks Lynette.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Party
After walking aimlessly, I decided to 'reward' myself with a hair wash. Supercuts was horribly crowded and had stopped accepting walk-in customers. I'm not sure if their cuts are that superb anyway.
There was this stylish salon around the bend, called the Klear Cuts. I had came across this place on a lunch date with Gwen, Jonathan and gang the other time when we were there on a course.
The stylists there were young. Most importantly, trendy, and that was the plus factor which made me walked into the salon.
That was the stylish which did the trim for me.
Services were about average. Tea were served. Male magazines were given. I love the head massage though. Was one of the few times I felt tense and I actually almost fell asleep.
Prolly I have been too tired from all the work and studying.
The stylist was friendly and yea, everything was good. Just that I thought it would be decent to give me a second hair-wash. But they didn't. I left that place $56 poorer.
Gwen and I went to Michelle's 21st birthday party. I was shocked when I entered the place. Furniture was 'sparse' and there was food meant for tea-time. I was hungry! And people were eating cup noodles?!?
o_O
I had tarts from delifrance, some chips, a slice of pizza the entire evening. The two of us didn't quite know the people there. The girls are largely Michelle's secondary/poly/ex-ABN friends.
Michelle was still friendly towards me, albeit I 'error-log' her due to a mistake she made. There goes her appraisal. Yes, that's how stressful bank jobs are. One complaint and your bonus are gone.
Gwen and I decided to leave the party and to join Varun at Acid Bar instead. Working with such colleagues opened the mind. That how 'international' people have became. Born in India, raised in US, studied in Canada,worked in Singapore at the age of 23. Heard from Gwen he got pretty cool friends.
HQ was there. The beer was great and the atmosphere was nice. It has been such a long time.
But it's nicer to curl up in bed to read The Broker.
No, it would be best if Gerrie is with me right now.
Night everyone.
Love you Darling.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Watch the 1st 2 Episodes of Full House on a lazy Saturday
Friday, November 17, 2006
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Blog The Pic
Grey boxes were distributed and despite of thinking it could be a Gucci handphone strap, it turned out to be a.................................
Note pad.
How exciting can it get.
Nevertheless, it can be used for something else.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Clothes
This post is not on clothes per se, but about the types of jobs.
Today we said a goodbye to Kala, the lady in the centre. She's been promoted and transferred to another department internally.
In an office environment, politics are bound to appear. I believe we cannot satisfy everyone and what's important is that we get the job done at the end of the day. I'm just glad the bond within C@ll Supp0rt is strong.
There are ranks in every organisation. But at least, in our civilised society, we respect one another. Hell, we can even make fun of our bosses. That's why we are called civili@ns.
I was washing Blackathy just now, dressed in the @DSD running attire. Yes, complete with the New Balance shoes. There's this guy who parked his Corolla a few spaces away. He stepped out and was wearing his No. 3. He's from the @ir F0rce. A LTC. He looked at me and smirked.
KNS. Obviously he thought I was still in the @ir F0rce. Up till now, I still detest N5. Especially those who abused their rank. Guess their ego are bruised.
You know what they say about guys who drive big cars.
To compensate what they lack beneath.
In this instance, it's applicable.
I would be going back for r3s3rvist for the next 2 weeks. This evening, I threw in my Raoul and No. 4 into the washing machine. I dunno why I felt disgusted at the thought of dunno what fuck brand rag twirling amongst my shirts and Calvins.
Take no offence, people. I believe we need 5@F and they have been doing a tremendous job. I dislike who make up the organisation.
If you are a fresh grad, or you know any fresh grad who is looking for a job, maybe you would like to consider to be a banker. Personal Financial Services. Please... fresh grad only. There are a couple of messages already, but no one bother to see the requirements.
14NOV06.
A month more to my birthday.
KNS. They have put up X'mas decorations already! What about ME?!??
K, nuff of drama.
Start saving for my birthday present. Put 30cents aside each day. Get me a Gucci handphone strap.
Take it into consideration I have been entertaining you guys for years!
Bahz. Night.
5ingapore M0t0rshow 2006
The M0t0rshow 2006 was a bore. Sure, there are plenty of flashy cars. Ferrari, Aston Martin, Maserati...
You can tell who are the rich in this m0t0rshow. It's really easy to spot. After all, who can get up close and personal with the Lamborghinis when the majority of us are standing outside its boundary.
Sigh. Don't you just wish you are the one, touching the car, test-driving the car while the rest of the world photographs you away?
There aren't many new cars this year. Porsche wasn't in. Bentley wasn't in. Neither BMW nor Mercedes. And the Japanese make are showcasing 'everyday' cars. It's really quite silly to spend $10 to take photographs of cars where you can see 'em running on the road everyday. Chances are you can spot 'em in your carparks.
Ah... but Lexus surprised everyone. Isn't she a beauty?
The colour was awesome, the 'eyes' are enchanting, the body is 'oh-so-sexy'.
Mazda doesn't want to be out-do. It intoduced its CX-7, which can rival Lexus RX300. The interior was nice and it's really a good choice if you want a big car, yet do not want to fork out too much money.
Btw, Lexus had its RX400 already.
No motorshow is complete without the girls. But they hover around the average range.
Lamborghini has its ah-moh model; Honda has its Eurasian girl.
Mazda girls tried to project a 'family' image.
But no girls beat the Lexus'.
I guess they compliement the brand image: Elegant.
This event also brought out the 'dirty' side of men. Look at the video I found in Youtube.
Seriously, if you're thinking of going to the 5ingap0re M0t0rsh0w 2oo6, you might as well buy the photos I have for $3.
Just enjoy the video below I had put together for you.
I have also found another video which I thought was really well done. It showcases most of the hottest cars in the show. Watch it and there's really no need to go for the show anymore. Enjoy.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Saturday
After lunch, I needed to kill time, so I dragged David to the library. Lo and behold, I have found the book I had always contemplating to buy. The Broker.
Time refused to move. Despite slacking at the HDB Hub watching the rain, enjoying my tea time in the school premises with 2 sugar rolls Gerrie had bought earlier, it was only 2pm.
Wtf right.
Kenny appeared and we decided the school's library was the best place to slack. After reading a chapter of The Broker and surfing the Internet, I soon realised I was b.o.r.e.d.
The fortunate thing happened. Kenny realised he needed a cable to link his MacBook to the projector port. Jeslyn had earlier texted me there were only 5 more groups before our turn, so it suddenly became an adventure for us to travel to Bishan to collect the cable and return to school JIT for the presentation.
Ended up Jeslyn gave us the wrong info. We could have taken our time. We reached the library earlier than our projected timing. Anyway, Kenny was absolutely brilliant during the presentation. Definitely one of his finest moments. The lecturer loved his presentation as much as I enjoyed it.
It had been a terribly wet day. HQ texted me to ask what I was going to do later part of the day and I thought a steamboat would be the best thing to rid the cold. KB was agreeable to it, though he came an hour later than he promised. Nevertheless, the company was good but short-lived. KB decided to leave for Bedok.
Since HQ was on the wagon, we needed a place to chill. Wine Boz was considered but was rather out of the way. A rather witty suggestion came from him though.
The V Tea Room.
It was a little crowded when we first stepped in and were shown to a table to look at the menu prior to the confirmation of order. It had a slightly different offering compared to Essential Brew. This self-proclaimed 'liqueur teacake boutique' provides a warm and cosy Venetian setting, with its arsenal of Victorian-inspired chairs.
The counter was most unique, which made it looked more like a mini-library. I loved the fan they had installed, but the speed of it irritated me. The setting provided demands a slow fan speed. K, I'm too anal about details.
I simply love the mirror, although I questioned its existence. Ooh, noticed the Venetian masks? Mysterious and sensual.
The waitress laid the china from a cart. Enchanting.
She placed the ware, accompanied with rose petals.
The entire experience was nice. Oh, be 'interested' in the cookies. The waitress would patiently explained the types of cookies they have and let you sample each and every cookie. Drink it with tea, and there you have it...
One tea session was pricey though, 2.5 X more than what Canele charged. A worthy experience.
The g0vt had been encouraging people to take public transport for the longest time. They tried improving the existing system, increasing car prices, increasing COE, increasing fuel prices, increasing misc. charges...
But I say it wouldn't work.
Cars have become larger than life. Sad but true, it represents the status in society. The more expensive the car is, the richer you are. The faster the car is, the richer you are.
Therefore, increasing the prices would only drive the people's desire to have them.
The paper stated this example where this bank officer spent $25 to park in Raffles Place and another $4 for ERP everyday, on top of the petrol charges. Just because he didn't want to push and shove with the rest of the nation in trains. A two-way trip on the MRT would cost him only S$4.
There's no stopping to people buying cars. Cars are getting more powerful, more beautiful. Mazda line has just improved, which introduced the new CX-7, rivaling with Lexus RX300 and the MX-5 is so attention-grabbing!
If you can't beat them, join them.
Build a 5ingapore-made car lor. Can put the Merlion in front mah.
Welcome to the Singap0re 8th Motorshow 2006.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Long Long Post
Instead, I reached the pantry at 7:30 to watch the ladies play with cucumbers.
It all began when the Events Mgt team planned a 'Finger Food Presentation' competition within the department. We had 5 teams, which were made up of the Bank1ng Helpdesk, P@yments Helpdesk, Ca11 Supp0rt, P@yments Investigation and the Mgt teams.
I may be the only guy there, but that doesn't mean I am a total flop in the kitchen. I was given the most sacred task.
Slicing the cocktail sausages.
O_o
The entire preparation process took us slightly more than twenty minutes. I know, it's quite an embarrassment. But you can't fault us, 'cus half the time we were checking out our competitors' work.
Presenting our C@ll Support item: Hawaiian Escapade
Yvonne's jelly was a total sell-out. Everyone rushed to get 'em. But we didn't manage to secure the top place. Damnit. The competition was so intense!
But how can we win when the VP was making crepes by herself? She brought the utensils, and even the mobile pan-powered-by-kerosene-which-makes-yummylicious-crepes!
And there you go... the Mgt Team's crepes.
Yes, they came in second.
WHAT?
Second????
Then who's first?
With 5 lovely items, the judges had a hard time to decide. It baffled even the Head and the MIS team.
Eventually, the P@yments Investigation team came in first. Yet again. The 2-tier silverware they used emulated the one at Fullerton Hotel. I had some éclairs, which was so good. And yes, they were all hand-made.
I enjoyed the item B@nking Helpdesk presented. Yes, the lychee and cheese were good.
And I just realised I didn't even bother with the P@yments Helpdesk! But I thought I should give credit to Rebecca for her potato salad.
Anyway, in my recent focus group, we interviewed some of our friends and in it, projective techniques were used. For example, if 5ingap0re is a car, what would it be?
Today, I found this comic strip in the papers.
Putting this aside, Elizabeth told us that in the two recent freak escalator accidents, both children were wearing Crocs shoes.
But seriously speaking... you don't see crocodiles taking the escalators right?
Oh, those of you who had your wisdom tooth/teeth extracted, please please please share with me your experiences! Tell me about the excruciating pain you went through. Scare me! Describe the agony, the number of tooth extracted, how you survived the ordeal, where you had it done, how much you paid for it and...
MOST IMPORTANTLY....
How many days/ weeks of MC you had ar?
PLEASE please please drop me a comment can?
I have one that's bugging me but I'm trying so hard to avoid confrontation of having the wisdom tooth removed.
Not as if I'm not stupid enough.
Night.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Work
To show how 'Responsive' we were, we had to visit a website or to make a call to retrieve a message. Turned out we had to wear red tops the following day.
Last month, employees have to find ways to creatively wear bandannas that were issued out to show how 'Dynamic' we were.
This month, the focus is on 'Intelligent'. To celebrate this, Time magazines were issued.
I think I look intelligent just by holding Time in my hand.
How I wish one of the brand values was 'Rich'.
I would love to have the Omega.
After all, it's the Bond's choice.
Live the H58C Brand. Our reviews are coming up and one of the criteria is to evaluate how we have carry out ourselves in accordance to the values. I don't really have anything in mind now though.
Well well, I need to hit the books pronto. See ya later, alligator!
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Shopping
Ever needed to buy a gift or need services but too lazy to go out of your house? Try Lesconcierges. You can find a whole range of services they provide. Wedding planning, fine payment, legal services, translators, hotel-bookings and home cleaning services, just to name a few. Lesconcierges is set up by the Bank to give convience to its employees.
No longer do anyone needs to go to the florist to buy flowers, nor pick up errands on your own. You can even buy a gift for your friends. I like the Gucci large tote bag and the Montblanc Generation Ballpoint (you can hardly find these pens anymore, besides it's only $285!). Christmas is coming. Want to impress your in-laws-to-be? Get a bottle of wine then!
And if you girls want to shop on budget, try PaperGirlsShop! The clothes are really not bad!
Happy shopping peps!
Recipient of PBM
Dad received his P1ng@t B@kti Masyarak@t medal on 29OCT06.
Though it's yet another N@ti0n@l Award, he had won over a new found respect from the community.